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| Obama hails 'new chapter' in US-Cuba ties | |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| US President Barack Obama has hailed a "new chapter" in US relations with Cuba, announcing moves to normalise diplomatic and economic ties. | |
| Mr Obama said the plans represented the "most significant changes in US policy towards Cuba in 50 years". | |
| The US is looking to open an embassy in Havana in the coming months, he said. | |
| The moves are part of a deal that saw the release of American Alan Gross by Cuba and includes the release of three Cubans jailed in Florida for spying. | The moves are part of a deal that saw the release of American Alan Gross by Cuba and includes the release of three Cubans jailed in Florida for spying. |
| Mr Gross arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington from Cuba on Wednesday. Footage showed him disembarking from a US government plane onto the tarmac where he was met by a crowd. | Mr Gross arrived at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington from Cuba on Wednesday. Footage showed him disembarking from a US government plane onto the tarmac where he was met by a crowd. |
| The 65-year-old spent five years behind bars after being accused of subversion, for trying to bring internet services to communities in Cuba. | The 65-year-old spent five years behind bars after being accused of subversion, for trying to bring internet services to communities in Cuba. |
| He was freed on humanitarian grounds. | He was freed on humanitarian grounds. |
| His arrest and imprisonment had undermined attempts to thaw diplomatic relations between the two countries. | His arrest and imprisonment had undermined attempts to thaw diplomatic relations between the two countries. |
| The US president announced measures that he said would end an "outdated approach that for decades has failed to advance our interests". | |
| The plans set out in a White House statement also includes: | |
| Analysis by Vanessa Buschschluter, Latin America editor, BBC News online | |
| The detention of Alan Gross had for years been a major hurdle on the path to closer ties between Cuba and the US. | |
| His release allows the US to "cut loose the anchor of the past", as the Obama administration put it. | |
| Washington had held out the prospect of full diplomatic ties within months, but ordinary Cubans are going to be more interested in the economic measures the US government has promised. | |
| Raising remittances levels from $500 (£320) to $2,000 a quarter could make a real difference to the livings standards of those Cubans with relatives and friends living in the US. | |
| And allowing telecom firms to improve internet services in Cuba would also make a tangible change to a country which has one of the lowest rates of internet penetration in the world. | |
| But Cubans critical of the government have slammed the Obama administration for "swallowing the hook" and allowing Raul Castro to score a political victory on the back of Mr Gross's years in jail. | |
| The three Cubans released in the US are part of the so-called "Cuban Five" convicted of spying. | The three Cubans released in the US are part of the so-called "Cuban Five" convicted of spying. |
| Prosecutors said they had sought to infiltrate US military bases and spied on Cuban exiles in Florida. | Prosecutors said they had sought to infiltrate US military bases and spied on Cuban exiles in Florida. |
| Two of them had recently been allowed to return to Cuba after finishing their sentences. | Two of them had recently been allowed to return to Cuba after finishing their sentences. |
| Key dates | Key dates |
| 2001: Five Cubans, dubbed the Cuban Five, are convicted in Miami and given long sentences for spying for the Cuban government. Their case becomes a rallying cry for the Havana government | 2001: Five Cubans, dubbed the Cuban Five, are convicted in Miami and given long sentences for spying for the Cuban government. Their case becomes a rallying cry for the Havana government |
| 2008: Raul Castro officially takes over as Cuban president. Washington calls for free and fair elections, and says its trade embargo will remain | 2008: Raul Castro officially takes over as Cuban president. Washington calls for free and fair elections, and says its trade embargo will remain |
| Dec 2009: US citizen Alan Gross detained in Cuba accused of spying for Washington | Dec 2009: US citizen Alan Gross detained in Cuba accused of spying for Washington |
| Oct 2011: One of the Cuban Five, Rene Gonzalez, is freed as scheduled from a Florida jail | Oct 2011: One of the Cuban Five, Rene Gonzalez, is freed as scheduled from a Florida jail |
| Dec 2013: US President Barack Obama and Raul Castro shake hands at Nelson Mandela's funeral - the first such public gesture since the 1959 revolution | Dec 2013: US President Barack Obama and Raul Castro shake hands at Nelson Mandela's funeral - the first such public gesture since the 1959 revolution |
| Feb 2014: The second of the Cuban Five, Fernando Gonzalez, is freed after completing his sentence | Feb 2014: The second of the Cuban Five, Fernando Gonzalez, is freed after completing his sentence |
| 17 December 2014: Alan Gross is released by Cuba after five years in captivity | 17 December 2014: Alan Gross is released by Cuba after five years in captivity |